Aristotle on Virtue = Pioneer of Virtue Ethics

“Developing our character traits to be virtuous people”

Aristotle - A greek philosopher. Alexander the Great’s Tutor. He worked with Plato.
- His book Nichomachean Ethics was edited by his son Nichomachus. It answers the
Philosophical question: “What makes people happy?”
- Knowing how to make good conversations is one of the key ingredients of the good life.
- “What is art for?” - The Poetics.
- “What are friends for?”
- “How can ideas cut through in a busy world?”

Aristotle believed that a crucial part of living an excellent human life was possessing
moral virtues

Virtues - “A state of character which makes a man good and makes him do his work well”
- Makes us good human beings, They allow us to do human activities
- Virtues aren’t feelings. Feelings are not good or bad. But they can be bad in instances
where for example we feel happy when someone is suffering.
- Midpoint between 2 extremes, not too much and not too deficient.

Virtue Ethics - does not focus on how we should behave, but it develops us into a virtuous
person.It emphasizes an individual’s character. What sort of person should I be? How should I
live and how can I improve?
- Virtue Ethics focuses on us and how we could become virtuous people so in a way kuno
sir, because it is only for our good and for us to reach our eudaimonia so to be a virtuous
person is to be a selfish person.

Moral Virtue is a state of character or habit that helps a person have emotions or perform
actions in the right way. Allow us to feel emotions at:
● The right times
● With reference to the right objects
● Towards the right people
● With right motive
● In the right way

Emotions have to be in line.

Examples of Virtue (Courage, Temperance, Generosity)

The Golden Mean = Mean/Intermediate. To feel an emotion in the right way is to have neither
too little or too much of it. Any extreme is a vice. Mean or level of emotions depends on agent
and circumstance. But some actions and feelings have no mean, and they’re always wrong
(Murder).
We use our practical wisdom to control our emotions, and to make sure that we’re staying on
the mean. And it is also by learning from others and practicing that we could become virtuous
people and to be close to achieving eudaimonia.

Telos - the purpose or the end

Eudaimonia - pure happiness or bliss. Fulfillment. A life well lived. Everything we do is to strive
toward eudaimonia. We must live a virtuous life in order to fulfill our purpose of eudaimonia.

We need to be virtuous in order to live a happy life because we cannot live a harmonious life
with society if most or all of our actions are vices that could potentially harm others or ourselves.
The only way that we could live a good life is through using practical wisdom.

11 Moral Virtues
● Courage - Cowardice and Recklessness
● Temperance
● Liberality
● Magnificence
● Magnanimity
● Proper Ambition
● Truthfulness
● Wittiness
● Friendliness
● Modesty
● Righteous Indignation

It is not just having an understanding of what these virtuous character traits mean, it is
knowing how to act and apply these traits in situations where it is necessary.

Phronesis - Practical Wisdom. (“A true and reasoned state of capacity to act with regard
to the things that are good or bad for man”) Virtuous people should have the ability to make
informed rational decisions on what the best way to act is.

NICHOMACUS ETHICS

● Virtue is developed through habit and it does not arise in us by nature.

LECTURE NOTES: APRIL 20

How to live a good life? - first ask; what is my purpose in life

 ● I think sir our purpose in life is to live harmoniously with others in their society and at the
same time fulfilling our dreams and aspirations, and ultimately to be happy where we
reach the point that we’re satisfied. Basically everything that we do is to achieve
happiness.

Happiness is a product of something. A by-product. Not given for free. We seek

happiness because life is hard, and it’s not given for free so we work hard to have it.

Reality of death makes life tragic. We can do good work to overcome life’s suffering.

Greeks: Life is short so they gave us arts and sciences.

If we complain that life is hard, life will not adjust for us. Happiness is a product of hard
work and other good human activities. Embrace the reality of life to avoid stress.

It is our culture that shapes the notion of happiness.